


A Bridge Between Worlds

by AndTails



Category: Sonic X, Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adventure, Angst, Brotherly Fluff, Canon Rewrite, Disability, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Interdimensional Travel, Mad Science, Manga & Anime, Reimagining, Rewrite, Sibling Incest, economic hardship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:22:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29295849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AndTails/pseuds/AndTails
Summary: Finding themselves in a strange new world, Tails and friends must stop the nefarious Dr. Eggman from conquering Earth while finding a way to return to Mobius. A sequel to "A Prelude to Chaos Control", this Sonic X reimagining sees the gang partner with the human girl Helen as they seek out the Chaos Emeralds while confronting enemies new and old.
Relationships: Miles "Tails" Prower & Helen (Sonic X), Miles "Tails" Prower & Sonic the Hedgehog
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	1. Welcome to Station Square

**Greetings! Thank you for checking out _A Bridge Between Worlds_. Before we get started, I should mention the following: **

**First, this story is a sequel to my recently completed longfic[ _A Prelude to Chaos Control_](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13596115/1/A-Prelude-to-Chaos-Control). If you haven’t already read it, I would _highly_ recommend checking it out first before reading this one. While it is not a requirement to have read the prior story, it would greatly enhance your experience, and you’ll miss several references to previous events. **

**Second, this story is a “reimagining” of Sonic X immediately following the events of _Prelude_ , which was a Sonic X prequel. This means the story will only be very loosely based on the anime, as it primarily follows the continuity I established in the first story. Needless to say, a _ton_ of creative liberties will be taken in this fic. While I will make references to the anime throughout the story, it is not a requirement to have watched the show. **

**Finally, I hope you enjoy this fic! As with _Prelude_ , I anticipate this story to be at least 100,000 words by the time it’s concluded. My goal is to generally update this piece once every couple of weeks, but if you ever want to reach out for updates, feel free to PM me or reach out via social media (my accounts are listed on my profile). **

**With all these prefaces out of the way, let us begin!**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Welcome to Station Square**

Slowly waking from what felt like a long overdue slumber, a young fox opened his eyes, finding nothing but darkness all around him.

“W…where _am_ I?”

Feeling around with his gloved hands, he found himself lying on an uneven surface across what felt like a heap of random objects. As his senses returned to him, he registered an unpleasant odor and the gentle sound of rain crashing over the surface above. Contorting his face, he fought the urge to squeeze his small, black nose, instead raising his wrist to his face and activating his communicator. Tapping a few buttons on his watch, a display projected from the device.

“Call Sonic,” he said to his watch.

“No service available, Tails,” it said in a feminine, robotic voice.

“That’s strange.” He opened his settings app with a few flicks of his fingers. “My signal towers are strong enough to reach nearly every part of Mobius.” A stark possibility came across Tails’ mind, his finger freezing mid-swipe. “Which must mean…”

His thought was interrupted as the ground beneath him began to rise. He grabbed hold of the bags on either side of him as he started tipping. 

“Ahhhh!”

Once tilted nearly upside down, the door above him swung open by force of gravity, and the young fox fell headfirst into another dark pit. He was then gradually covered by what he now determined to be garbage. He heard the crash of the dumpster returning to the ground below and the sound of metallic arms retracting. Finally, the garbage truck began to move, taking with it an unwitting passenger. 

The fox’s body was now half-buried in filth, his furry, orange legs, red and white sneakers, and twin tails sticking out from the pile. With a grumble from below, Tails activated his rotary namesakes, garbage flying all about as his tails began to spin. As he slowly lifted himself out of the heap, he freed his arms and pushed against the uneven surface with his dirty, gloved hands, eventually unearthing himself from the heap.

Now upright, Tails bent his knees to keep himself steady. He pulled a banana peel from his hair, tossing it to the side in disgust before peering around. Glancing up, he pressed his hands against the retractable lid, which slowly folded outward until it was fully opened.

“There we go…” The orange kitsune jumped up, grabbing hold of the ledge and pulling himself up, steadying his feet and pinwheeling his arms to keep himself from falling off the moving truck. He felt the refreshing rain against his fur as he inhaled the relatively fresh air of the unknown city.

With a screech, the truck came to a stop.

“Woahh!” Caught off-guard by the sudden halt, the young fox fell back into the truck, faceplanting against the heap he escaped from moments earlier. As he was pulling himself up once more, his triangular ears twitched at the sound of the mechanical arms lifting another dumpster, tipping its contents into the truck, and covering the unsuspecting kitsune with another layer of filth.

“Oh, just my luck.”

Clawing his way to the surface, Tails climbed out of the truck once more, this time better steadying himself on the roof as he peered around. The roads were surrounded by tall buildings, the late-afternoon sun obscured by dark clouds. Passersby carried umbrellas, their eyes trained on the sidewalks as they went about their business, and other vehicles, mostly small cars, drove on either side.

Wiping the water from his brow, the young fox shielded his eyes from the rain as he attempted to get a good look at the nearby pedestrians. His jaw dropped when he found a young couple sharing an umbrella, walking down the sidewalk with a leashed dog in tow.

“Are those… _humans_?” Tails shook his head. “Just like… _Eggman_?” He raised his palm to his chin in thought. “But I thought he was the only one around.” Peering around once more, he got a good look at the drivers and passengers in the nearby vehicles, all of whom shared the general characteristics of a human: smooth skin, little hair, fully clothed, and heads that were proportionally smaller to their torsos relative to Mobians.

“I wasn’t aware of any human colonies on Mobius…unless…” Tails gasped. “The Chaos Emera—”

He was interrupted by another sudden stop from the garbage truck. While he stammered, he was prepared enough to prevent himself from falling into the filth once more. With a sigh, he watched as the arms lifted the nearby dumpster, poured its contents into the truck, and placed the dumpster back on the ground.

“But why would the Chaos Emeralds transport us here? And where even _is_ here?” He gasped once more. “And where’s Soni—ahhhh!!” The truck accelerated rapidly, a move which caught the young fox off-guard, sending him careening off the roof. He landed on the hood of the car directly behind the garbage truck, denting its sleek metal. He bounced off and crashed through the windshield, glass spewing everywhere as the fox landed in the passenger seat upside down, his head holding up the rest of his body.

“Oh my god!” the human man exclaimed. He pulled off to the side of the road, engaged his emergency lights, and got out of the car, quickly circling to the passenger side. He watched as the alien twisted himself around, his gloved hand massaging his head.

“Oh, hi there!” Tails greeted from below with a bright smile. 

“Ahhhhh!” The human screamed. “What the _hell_ is that!? A talking fox…thing?” He grabbed hold of Tails’ namesakes and yanked him out of the car, throwing him to the side of the road. “Ewww, I touched it, I _touched_ it!” Diving back into the vehicle, he sped away, splashing a puddle of mud over the weary fox.

Tails sighed, allowing himself to recover from the ordeal as he rested his face against his furry arms. “Some things never change, huh?”

Suppressed memories filled his mind, back in the days when he roamed from town to town, bullied and ridiculed for his two-tailed mutation wherever he went, hardly able to scrape by on bits of food he found in dumpsters and the fruit and meat he harvested in nature. His eyes began to glisten.

“No…” He pulled himself up, drying his tears with his arms. “That was a long time ago. These people are just scared of outsiders is all.” Glancing down at himself, he found he was none the worse for wear save for his dirty fur. Satisfied, he looked around, what little sunlight radiating through the dark clouds above rapidly fading as the afternoon transitioned into evening, the streetlights illuminating the sidewalk enough to guide him while keeping himself mostly incognito.

“The first thing I need to do is hide out somewhere, maybe find some food and get some rest before I search for my friends.” Tails closed his eyes and folded his arms, putting his head down in thought. “Sonic…where _are_ you? You were in my arms moments before Chaos Control, but where did you g—"

He felt a sharp pain in his namesakes.

“Yeoww!!!” Tails turned his head to find a small human child staring back at him, an umbrella handle in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and a sneaker across a single tail. He straightened his face and forced a weak smile. “Uhhh, hi?” The fox suppressed his pain, hoping to cause as little of a scene as possible.

“A…monster…ahhhhh!” The kid ran away, throwing his cell phone and umbrella in the air as he fled.

“Wait!” Tails yelled, extending his arm to catch the device. “You forgot your…” He sighed as the kid turned at the next block, now obscured by the tall building separating the two.

“Ahh, a wild animal!”

The orange kitsune spun around to find an adult woman with a transparent umbrella.

“It attacked a kid! Someone help!”

All eyes were now on the young fox; pedestrians looked out from their umbrellas, apartment dwellers opened their windows to get a good view of the feral beast, and vehicles stopped on the side of the road, the humans within staring in disbelief. One of these cars was painted black and white, a set of flashing red and blue lights on top.

Tails watched, stepping back a few paces and raising his defenses as two humans in dark blue uniforms exited the car. One was holding a donut while the other was munching on a half-eaten burger. The former was tall and slender, and the latter was wider around the waist and sporting a moustache. Both had guns and portable communicators affixed to their belts.

“Well look what we have here,” the taller human said, “it’s a little bit early to go dressing up for Halloween, isn’t it?”

“Or maybe it’s his pajamas?” asked the smaller one. The two shrugged their shoulders and approached the orange kitsune, who tightened his fists and fluttered his namesakes from behind.

“Say…sergeant?” the taller one asked, dropping his donut in disbelief, “if that’s just a costume…how did that tail…move?”

“Ummm…” The superior officer peered around the fox, who maintained eye contact as he gave a small snarl under his breath and prominently and menacingly displayed a single tooth for the humans to see. “I don’t think…that’s a…real boy.”

“I’m warning you,” Tails said, taking a few more steps back as the officers stepped forward, freezing at the sound of his voice, “one more move, and I’ll be forced to defend myself.”

“Did it…just _talk_?” the sergeant asked. The taller human nodded slowly with a gulp. Wracking his brain, the shorter officer reached into his pocket and pulled out a small piece of food in the shape of a bone. He bent his knees to lower himself slightly.

“Do you want a _treat_?” The man smirked. “I bet you’re _hungry_ , huh? Out here in the city away from the forest?” He extended his arm, the piece of food resting in his open palm. Tails slowly dropped his own arms and approached the human. Reaching up on his tippy toes, he sniffed the treat before grabbing it, observing its rigid texture.

_Well, it doesn’t smell the best, but…_

Tails clutched his belly with his free hand, his stomach grumbling to remind him how long it’d been since he’d eaten anything. With a sigh, he plopped the snack into his mouth. Chewing thoughtfully, his face contorted at the disgusting taste, spitting it out to his side.

“Now!”

The man caught him in an oversized animal net, catching the orange kitsune by surprise.

“Good work, officer,” the sergeant said.

“Thank you, sir!” he replied as he spun the handle and pulled the net-side closer in. He peered into the net to find Tails glaring at him with his arms folded. “We’ll take you to Animal Control to see what to do with you.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” With a grin, the fox wrapped himself into an orange sphere, preparing himself to perform a technique taught to him by his older brother long ago: the spindash. He spun his body in place rapidly, his namesakes sticking out from the spherical blur as he slashed through the net with ease. Still spinning as he fell to the sidewalk, he sped away, halfway down the block within seconds. 

The two humans stood dumbfounded, watching their captive get away. After shaking the daze from their eyes, the officers ran to their car, activated their lights, and followed the wild animal down the sidewalk. Round the corner, however, the officers found no trace of the feral creature. They slowed their pace, the passenger scanning the sidewalks as the driver kept his eyes on the road.

Shortly after they passed by an alleyway between two tall buildings, Tails peered from behind a large dumpster, his heart pounding with adrenaline. When it was clear the cops were gone and not coming back, he sighed in relief, wiping the sweat from his brow as he rested his back against the brick wall.

“Now all I need is some shelter…” The young fox looked around. He found some water-soaked cardboard boxes down the alley. Shaking his head at this initial idea, he turned around to face the dumpster, sighed, and hopped in. He tried his best to ignore the putrid smell within as he closed the lid and found a garbage bag soft enough to serve as a makeshift chair. Finally, resting his back against the cold metal of the dumpster, he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, reflecting on everything that had happened.

“Chaos Control.” He vividly remembered the white veil of nothingness engulfing Eggman’s base, eventually overtaking him and his friends. “Knuckles said our fate was bound to the will of the Chaos Emeralds. Why did they take us here? Was it a freak accident, or was there a _purpose_?” Tails opened his eyes as he raised a finger to his chin in thought. “Where _exactly_ did the Chaos Emeralds take us,” he rested his head against the cold metal side of the dumpster once more, “and why did my friends get transported somewhere else? Are they in the same city? World?” The thought of being all alone in a place without his companions sent shivers down his spine. “Sonic…”

He sat in silence, attempting to hypothesize a reason for their teleportation as he reflected on the words Knuckles spoke to him back on Mobius as he was studying the Master Emerald in the hopes of learning enough about its properties to get his Chaos Emerald detector to work.

_“I think you’re approaching the Master Emerald all wrong. You’re trying to study it scientifically. To unlock its secrets, you have to go beyond logic and reason.”_

_“Trust the Master Emerald. Place your faith in the Master Emerald. Treat it like a friend instead of an experiment.”_

With more questions than answers, Tails stored these unresolved inquiries in the back of his mind to focus on the cell phone he inadvertently acquired from the human child. He activated the device with the power button and opened the main menu. Just below the top of the screen, which read “Timothy’s Phone” in bold letters, Tails opened the map application, showing an accurate pinpoint of where the orange kitsune was in the city. “Now I just gotta zoom out…” Spreading two fingers out across the screen, he found himself in the middle of what appeared to be a large, metropolitan city labeled “Station Square”. “I’ve never seen _this_ place before.” Zooming out once more, he continued until he could see the entire map of the world.

“Strange…” He furrowed his brow as he analyzed his findings. “These land masses are quite similar to the ones back on Mobius, but there are some… _differences_.” He traced the blue gap between two large masses of land, labeled as the Atlantic Ocean, before returning his finger to the dot signifying his location: on the east coast of a continent in the western portion of the map. Zooming in, he clicked a Station Square hyperlink leading him to an informational webpage. The orange kitsune cleared his throat.

“Station Square is the capital city of the United States of America (U.S., U.S.A.). It is located on the Potomac River bordering the states of Maryland and Virginia. As the seat of the U.S. federal government and several international organizations, the city is an important world political capital.” Tails rested the phone between his legs and placed a palm over his forehead with a groan. “I don’t think I’m on Mobius anymore…”

Twisting the phone around the gloved fingers of his free hand, he noticed a small hole on the back. Pulling out his Miles Electric portable computer from his namesakes, he used the brightness of its screen to peer within, revealing a small screw.

“Sorry, Timothy…” Wrapping his ambidextrous namesake around his belly, he inserted the tip of his tail into the hole and gently unscrewed it, repeating this pattern for a few other screws on each corner of the back of the device. Pulling the back case away, he scanned the internal components and pulled a small card from a slot. Carefully observing it in his hands, he inserted it into a slot in his tablet. Performing a few more functions, he heard a pleasant chime emanate from the device.

“Bingo!” he cheered. “I didn’t think that’d work. What’re the odds this human technology is compatible with my own?” With a chuckle, he wirelessly updated his wristwatch communicator, syncing the new settings between the devices so he could connect to the human network with both. “Now time to locate everyone…” A holographic image displayed over his wrist, but to his dismay, no blips appeared on the map. “Shoot…” He raised a finger to his chin in thought once more. “Their devices are not connected to the human network, so I won’t be able to find them…but maybe…” Pressing a few more buttons, he smirked at the sight of a blinking dot on the map. “…Ah, good! All of my devices are linked to the Tornado, so finding it was a piece of cake.” The thought of food made his stomach gurgle, forcing the young fox to clutch his belly.

Peering around the inside of the dumpster, he found a small, brown bag with a large, yellow “M” inked on its side. He found a half-eaten burger within. Smelling the old lunch, his stomach cried out for nourishment with greater ferocity, not caring if it was previously discarded.

“I have no human money and no guarantee I’ll find food anywhere else…” Peering down at the burger once more, the hungry fox started salivating. “Doesn’t appear moldy or rotten…ah, what the heck.” He took several greedy bites until the burger was completely devoured. “Never thought I’d have to go dumpster diving again…” Pulling himself up, the orange kitsune pushed open the lid and jumped out, landing in the alleyway beyond. Dusting himself off, he pulled up his map application once more.

“The Tornado appears to be in some sort of suburban area several dozen miles west of here.” Putting his wrist down, the young fox furrowed his brow. “Well, here goes nothing.” Stepping out of the alley, the orange kitsune ventured forth, on a mission to reunite with his beloved biplane. 

* * *

Slowly opening his eyes, Sonic the Hedgehog found himself sprawled out across a hard, concrete surface. Shaking his head, he pulled himself up and stretched his arms up before reaching down to his blue and white sneakers.

Looking ahead, the blue hedgehog found himself in the middle of a road surrounded by tall buildings on either side, pedestrians packing the sidewalks and holding umbrellas in the rain.

Hearing a honk from behind, Sonic spun around to find a truck barreling toward him. With a spindash, he dodged the truck, only to find himself obstructing the path of a car coming from the opposite direction. With a hop, the blue blur dodged this vehicle as well, only to face plant against the windshield of a large semi-truck.

“What the hell is _that_ thing?!” cried the driver. Pulling a black bar near the side of his steering wheel, Sonic was pushed away by the truck’s windshield wiper, falling to the street below. The trucker drove away, leaving the blue hedgehog face down along the curb.

“Ahh, rude!” Sonic pulled himself up once more, spitting out dirt and dusting himself off before taking another look around. He was surrounded by a group of surprised onlookers, a sight which equally confused him.

“…Humans? Like Egghead? No way…” The blue hedgehog bent his legs as he shook his head. “There’s no use standin’ ‘round here! I gotta find my friends ‘n get to the bottom of this!” With a grin, he ran on, joining the traffic cutting through the heart of downtown, dodging cars to maintain his momentum. “Maybe if I were higher up…” Veering to the right, he ran up the side of a tall building, reaching the roof with practiced ease.

“I’ve never been _here_ before,” Sonic said to himself as he scanned the area. He found tall buildings scattered for as far as the eye could see, save for a long bridge extending over a river to the north. “The faster I can get outta this city ‘n get some fresh air, the better.” Charging a spindash, Sonic launched himself off the roof, free falling to the street below, grabbing hold of a traffic light bar extending across the width of the road, twirling around it several times, and jumping off, angled toward the road.

He seamlessly continued his trek as he landed back on the cement, a blue blur to pedestrians and drivers alike as he exited onto a much wider interstate highway leading to the bridge, eventually crossing its entire length and turning off onto another raised interstate, jumping over a large “Do Not Enter” sign.

“But how did I get here? And what happened to Tails? Last thing I remember was…” The blue hedgehog recalled the moments before he slipped out of consciousness; he was shot in the back, trying to protect Tails from a horde of Egg Pawn robots. His memory was fuzzy up until the point where he was suspended in the air, his younger brother floating alongside him, a yellow, glowing aura partially veiling him. He still remembered the warmth emanating from Tails’ hands as he used the powers granted to him by the Chaos Emeralds to heal his wounds.

_“You’ll be okay. Let me take care of things from here.”_

_“You got this…hero.”_

A small tear formed in Sonic’s eye as a smile appeared on his face. “Tails…you did it. I never thought you could go super, but you did it. I’m _proud_ of you. Now if only I knew where you were…” Scanning the road ahead, he found the path obstructed yet again by a set of red and yellow signs, which the blue hedgehog jumped over with ease. Shortly after, he found the elevated road reached an abrupt end. With a smirk, he launched himself off, extending his arms out as he got a breathtaking view of the suburbs below, the sparkling lights, flashing signs, and various passersby creating a picturesque scene for Sonic to enjoy from above, flying almost as a bird in the night sky.

“Wherever I am…it’s not so bad…I could almost get _used_ to this!” As his trajectory began to dip, his eyes widened at what he found directly below: one of two large, lighted pools in the gated perimeter of a fancy estate.

“Uh…ohhh…” Flapping his arms, Sonic attempted to change his course, but to no avail. Frantically looking around for anything to lock on to for a potential homing attack, his search was in vain.

Falling like a brick, the hedgehog landed in the pool with a massive splash and quickly sank to the bottom.

He tried running to the nearby pool ladder, but he only succeeding in jogging in place, generating bubbles around him as he brought himself to a stop. Next, he bent his knees and jumped up, only reaching halfway to the surface.

_Think Sonic, think…I’ve gotten out of stickier situations before…_

Folding his arms, and closing his eyes, he wracked his brain for a solution, but none came. Before he knew it, his lungs started burning, begging for more oxygen that the hedgehog was unable to provide.

_I guess this is it…what a way to go, huh? At least Tails won’t be needin’ me anymore._

_He’s got this…he ain’t a lil’ kid anymore. He can handle himself, I’m sure of it._

Unable to hold his breath any longer, he opened his mouth, his face contorting and his hands gripping his neck before he passed out.

* * *

Leaning back in his computer desk chair, a human boy ran his hands through his disheveled brown hair as he stared at his monitor.

“So Mom and Dad said I can get _whatever_ I want…but I can’t decide…” He raised a hand to his chin in thought. “I already own an entire island off the coast of Station Square. Maybe I could get a _second_ amusement park built there?” He pulled out his cell phone and opened his contact list. “I know _just_ who to ask.” He raised the phone to his ear, tapping his sneakers against the floor in impatience after the second ring. “C’mon, pick up. It’s not like you got anything better to do.” The fifth ring ceased as the recipient answered the call.

“Ummm, hello?”

“Hey Danny, it’s Mr. Thorndyke.”

“Ummm, Chris?” The friend on the other line yawned into his arm. “Ya know how late it is?”

“Oh, come on! 11 PM isn’t _that_ late,” he replied, “and _don’t_ call me Chris. You are to refer to me by Mr. Thorndyke and Mr. Thorndyke only. Hear me?”

“Okay, whatever,” Danny replied with a sigh. “What do you need this time?”

“Well,” Chris began, “my parents said I can get anything I want, but I don’t know what to choose. I require some brainstorming assistance.”

Danny groaned. “Can we do this tomorrow? We’ve got school in the morning.”

“Absolutely not!” Chris yelled. “May I remind you of the contract we signed? You’re my friend on retainer, meaning my family ensures yours has a roof over their heads in exchange for your on-demand friendship.”

Danny scoffed. “You know that’s _not_ how friendships are supposed to work, right?”

“Silence, _peasant_!” Chris shouted, nearly spilling his energy drink in anger. “One more peep out of you, and I’ll cut off the gravy train. Wouldn’t want that, now would ya?”

“No, don’t do _that_!” Danny yelled, rolling out of bed and pacing from one end of his bedroom to the other. “Okay, I’m awake. Have you narrowed down what kind of gift you want?”

“Heh, better.” Chris smirked, always getting a kick out of manipulating others with money. “Anyway, I was thinking a second resort on my island…or maybe even a second _island_ entirely. Thoughts?”

“What is this for again?” Danny asked. “Your birthday isn’t for another eight months.”

Chris shrugged. “Nothing in particular. You know how my parents are.”

Danny facepalmed before running his palm up to his short, back hair. “Sure. Anyway…do you _need_ a second island?”

It was Chris’ turn to scoff. “Of _course_ I need a second island! I just need to figure out if I should develop my first island a bit more or if I should branch out now.”

“I don’t know, man,” Danny sighed, “maybe ask for…both?”

Chris pondered this suggestion for a few moments, raising a hand to his chin once more. “Danny, you’re a genius! Yeah, I’ll just ask for both! See, _this_ is why we keep ya around.”

“Is there anything else I can assist you with this evening?” Danny asked, his voice monotone.

“I’m good. Just be sure to have my homework completed by the first bell tomorrow.”

“As always…Mr. Thorndyke.” Danny stopped himself from gagging.

Chris hung up the call and threw his phone on the bed before jumping in himself and sprawling across the mattress with his hands behind his head. He peered around his oversized room.

“Eh, I’ll just call in sick tomorrow.” He smirked to himself once more. “The school would be bankrupt if I didn’t bankroll it anyway.” He rolled to the side of the bed and opened a mini freezer within arms’ reach, pulling out a tub of ice cream. Leaning against the bed board and grabbing a spoon from the end table, he consumed nearly a full pint before hearing a loud splash from outside.

“What was _that_?” Chris asked with a full mouth. Swallowing his last bite of ice cream, he put the container back in the freezer and peered out the window to reveal a clear disturbance in one of his two personal swimming pools. “Ah, maybe it’s an intruder!” He smirked with glee. “I’ve been wanting to test out the Taekwondo I learned from Tanaka.” He punched the air in front of him before performing a backward roundhouse kick, overextending his leg and falling to the floor.

“Heh, just a fluke!” he declared as he stood back up and ran out of the bedroom, sliding down the railing of the long, spiral staircase leading to the base level of his mansion. He stealthily made his way to the backdoor, careful not to wake his butler and maid. Stepping into the courtyard, he peered around, finding no intruders. Chris approached to the pool and peered within, finding an animal-like figure still as a log, fully submerged in the water. The young boy sighed.

“And here I thought I’d be takin’ down some bad guys tonight.” With a groan, he grabbed a pool net from the ground and clumsily pried the animal from the pool floor like a hamburger, pulling him out of the water and rolling him to the side. Chris approached the blue alien entity slowly, eventually crawling on all fours to get a better look.

“Hey…” The young boy gently slapped the anthropomorphic hedgehog across the face. “You okay there?”

No response.

He poked the black nose protruding from its muzzle.

Still nothing.

“Well…I think it’s safe to say it’s dead.” He pulled himself up and turned around. “I’m sure Tanaka will throw it away tomorrow morning.” As he took a few steps back to the mansion, he froze at the sound of raspy coughing coming from behind. Swinging around, he found the animal coughing up water.

The boy ran back to its side. “Hey, you’re alive after all!”

“Well of course I am!” Sonic replied between bouts of hacking. He got a good look at the boy above him before shifting his attention to the net at his side. “You saved my life?”

“Ummm…yeah, I guess I did.” A wicked smirk grew along Chris’ lips. “I mean…yes, of _course_ I saved your life! Whatcha gonna do to repay me?” While he was intrigued the animal could talk, the lust for money outweighed his curiosity.

“Huh?” The hedgehog was confused and still a bit disoriented from nearly drowning.

“How much is your life worth? Maybe $100,000? A million?”

The anthropomorphic alien cocked his head in confusion before reaching his gloved hands into his spines. “Sorry, must’ve left my wallet at home.”

“Heh, likely story…” With a sigh, Chris pulled the alien up off the ground. “What’s your name?”

“Ummm, Sonic.”

“Well, Sonic, it’s nice to make your acquittance.” He pulled him by the arm back to the mansion.

“Hey, where ya takin’ me, bub?” Sonic protested as he was dragged away.

“You’ve got a lot of work to do around the house to make up for me saving your life. I’m sure Ella could make you a nice butler outfit, too.”

Sonic pulled his wrist away. “Hey, I’m not some butler! I’m glad you saved my life, but where I come from, we don’t expect a reward for saving others.”

“Oh?” Chris smirked as he chuckled from above. “And just _where_ is that exactly?”

“Well…” Sonic started to lose his balance. “I’m from…ohh, my head hurts…” He collapsed against the concrete floor, his body sprawled out as exhaustion overtook him.

“ _Hmph_ …freeloader.” Shaking his head, the young boy pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

“Hello, Animal Control? I have a weird…animal _thing_ you should probably come take away. Don’t know when it’s gonna wake up, but I don’t want it loitering around my estate.” Providing his address, the person on the other line scheduled an immediate dispatch. The boy ended the call, turned to face the blue hedgehog one last time, audibly scoffed, and retired back to his bedroom.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of _Bridge_! It turns out writing the first chapter to a sequel is a bit tricky, but I hope it turned out okay. Also, dirtbag Chris is fun to write. :O**

**I don’t know what it is about Tails and dumpsters, but it just seems to _work_. Anyway, Irritable Fabulamancer’s _[Dumpster Kid](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13746508/1/Dumpster-Kid)_ came to mind while writing the introduction of this story, as did the first chapter of my other ongoing fanfic, _[Tails and the Abandoned Fox Cubs](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13688866/1/Tails-and-the-Abandoned-Fox-Cubs)_. If you’ve read _Prelude_ , I’m sure you’d enjoy the fluff both have to offer. **

**See you next time!**


	2. Tornado Time

**Chapter 2: Tornado Time**

Kicking his legs back and forth as he sat at a bus stop, Tails stared into his Miles Electric tablet, tracking several moving dots traveling along a map. Sticking his tongue out the side of his mouth, he traced a gloved finger between one of these dots and the blinking circle representing his current location.

“According to this app, the next bus should be arriving in two minutes.” The young fox tucked the computer into the dirty, grey rain jacket he had found abandoned a few miles back. It was a bit too large for the small Mobian, but it was perfect for hiding away his namesakes. He kept his head down, the hood protecting him from the rain. To any passersby out and about near midnight, he would’ve looked like a normal human boy fully veiled in a jacket instead of an alien, anthropomorphic kitsune.

“I sure hope Sonic’s okay…” Tails replayed images in his mind of what had recently transpired back on Mobius, an incident which now felt like a lifetime ago. The orange kitsune vividly recalled watching as his older brother was shot through the torso by an Egg Pawn’s laser gun followed by the bout of rage that filled him as he defeated all the robots out of vengeance, and finally…

He remembered his transformation. 

“I suppose it stands to reason,” the orange fox pondered, raising a gloved hand to his chin. “After all, if Sonic can transform into a super form, then why can’t others? I just never would’ve imagined it to be me, of all people.” The young kitsune remembered tapping into the power of the mystical Chaos Emeralds to heal his older brother and defeat Eggman’s super mech, only for the gems to be stolen back by the evil madman, who threatened to use them to blow them all up if Sonic wasn’t turned over. As it turned out, the “bomb” didn’t cause an explosion at all.

“The Chaos Emeralds must’ve realized they were being manipulated for evil, but was transporting us to a new world the only way to counteract Eggman’s deed? Or did the emeralds have a _purpose_ in mind for sending us here?” Pulling his hands out of his pockets, he stared down at them intently before balling them into fists. “Sonic…where _are_ you?”

“Heya kid?”

“Huh?” Tails looked up to find the bus he’d been waiting for parked along the curb in front of him, the driver staring back at him. “Ya hoppin’ on or what?”

“Oh, yes sir.” Tails nodded his head and he slid off the bench, landing firmly on the sidewalk below before stepping up the large steps and walking past the driver.

“Ya forgot to pay.”

“Huh?” Tails turned around and cocked his head, keeping his face lowered to protect his identity.

“This ain’t a free ride. Either ya pay or you get off.”

“Ohh…” Tails fished around his namesakes, hoping at least one of the items he picked up along the way could serve as a form of payment. Yanking the first thing he found, he handed over a small French fry, one he was saving for sustenance but could live without if it meant retrieving his biplane faster.

The man observed it in his hands before peering back at the cloaked boy in front of him. “You take me for some kind of fool?”

“No, no, no!” Tails stammered, raising his arms forward while shaking his head. “Sorry…how about…” he reached into his namesakes once more. “…this!” He handed over an article of clothing to the driver, whose face grew red with anger as a vein bulged out of his forehead.

“Are you messing with me, or do you _actually_ think you can pay with lady’s underwear?”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Reaching into his tails for a final time, he pulled out a few small, metallic disks, trading them back for the clothes and fry.

“Ah, much better.” The driver snickered as he deposited the coins into a small box on the dash, shifted the gear stick, and pulled out into the road. “Ya had me goin’ for a sec. Now no more jokin’ around, we’re runnin’ behind schedule as is.”

“Yeah, right…” Tails sighed as he took a seat on the nearly empty bus, the only other passengers sitting near the back. 

“Let’s see…” the orange kitsune muttered to himself as he pulled out his tablet once more, having configured his portable computer to be fully compatible with the human network. He pulled up pictures of United States currency, and sure enough, the coins he gave to the bus driver were standard legal tender. “Well _that_ sure was lucky, wasn’t it?” Slipping his computer back into his jacket, he twiddled his thumbs as he kicked his legs back and forth once more.

“Hey, pipsqueak.”

Tails peered up to find the three men from the back of the bus now surrounding him. All had some form of colored mohawk and wore loose-fitting clothing and various metal facial piercings.

“Oh, hello there!” Tails waved up with a bright smile. “Lovely evening, isn’t it?”

“Oh, it’s a _lovely evening_ all right,” the man in the middle said with a snicker, cracking his wrists as the two others stood on either side with evil grins. “I bet your _mommy’s_ worried sick about ya, huh? Bet she’d do anything to get ya back, right?”

“My mom?” Tails asked, pointing a gloved finger at himself. As he did this, the hood of his jacket fell back, revealing his furry, Mobian muzzle. “Sorry, I don’t have a mom. I was abandoned as a kid…” The humans’ jaws dropped, frozen in disbelief.

“What… _is_ this thing?” The punk on the left asked.

“That looks _way_ too real to be a furry costume,” the thug on the right added.

“Hey kid…” The ringleader bent his knees, staring at the young fox at eyelevel. “What are you exactly?”

“Oh, me?” Tails asked, planting a palm against his chest. “That’s easy. I’m Miles Prower…but my friends call me Tails.”

“Not your name, kid…” he extended his neck out slightly to get a better look at the creature’s face. “You some kind’r alien or somethin’?”

“Well, I guess so?” Tails replied with a shrug. “You’re practically the first human who didn’t yell at the top of their lungs at first sight of me.” The young fox sighed as he remembered all the Earthlings he had negative interactions with since arriving to Station Square. 

“Is that so…” The suspicious human snickered once more. “If you come home with us, you can meet all kinds of friends who wouldn’t be scared of ya.”

“Really?” Tails’ triangular ears fluttered.

“Oh yes,” he replied. “Just get off at the next stop with us, and we’ll… _keep you safe_.”

“Oh, no can do!” Tails smiled while folding his arms. “I’m already on a mission.” He yelped as the man pulled out a switchblade from his pocket, pointing it within inches of his black nose.

“That wasn’t a request, kid.”

“Yeah, do what the boss tells ya to if ya know what’s good for ya,” the punk on the left ordered.

“If you value your life, you’ll do what he says,” the right-most man added.

“I’m sure your fur would fetch a pretty penny on the Black Market,” the leader declared, “or maybe we can find someone who’d want to keep ya as a pet? So many possibilities!”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Tails’ look of shock and worry quickly dissolved, replaced with piercing eyes and a confident grin. He whipped his namesakes from behind, slapping the switchblade out of the punk’s hands before launching himself forward with his feet, landing a punch square to his face. The ringleader went down without a fight. 

“Playing the helpless kid is a sure way to trick goons like you into a false sense of security,” Tails taunted before spinning himself around, his ambidextrous namesakes wrapping around the remaining punks’ legs and pulling them off their feet. “Letting your guard down was your first mistake.”

“Hey!” The leader yelled as he pulled himself up, covering his bleeding nose. “You’re not gonna get away with that!” He glared at his henchmen, who scrambled to recover from their falls and approached the orange kitsune, cracking their knuckles along the way.

“And your second mistake?” Tails grinned as he charged a spindash, launching himself at the punks in front of him and sending all three crashing through the back door, their screams fading as the bus pressed on. “Underestimating me.” With a confident chuckle, he attempted to close the backdoor only to find it unable to lock in place.

“Excuse me, sir?” Tails called from the back. “I kinda…broke your door.”

“Don’t blame yourself, kid,” the driver chuckled from the front seat. “I watched how you took down those thugs with your own two hands. Those guys have been a real pain n’ the ass for months. Now they’ll think twice before boardin’ _my_ bus.”

“Sorry about the damage, though…” Tails’ ears drooped down as he held one arm with the other, looking back at the open exit, guilty and embarrassed.

“That’s a small price to pay.” The bus driver fished around his pockets, giving Tails the contents of what was within.

“What’s this?” Tails asked, analyzing the $20 and $10 bills and the coupon for a restaurant called Taco Bell.

“Well, it’s no secret that you’re far, far away from home, if ya know what I mean.” He chuckled once more. “This should be enough to get some warm food in your belly.”

“Gee, thanks, mister!” The orange kitsune fluttered his namesakes from behind, wearing a bright smile as he tucked the items into his tails.

“Don’t mention it!” The driver peered to his side. “N’ speak of the devil, looks like there’s a Taco Bell right at the next stop.” Tails pulled out his tablet and navigated to his map app.

“Hey, that’s where I’m stopping!”

“Welp,” the bus driver concluded, pulling off to the side of the road and opening the door, “it was nice to meet ya, kid. Thanks for teaching those goons a lesson.”

“It was my pleasure!” Tails replied with a thumbs up. “C’ya later!” Stepping out of the bus, he waved goodbye to the driver as he drove off down the dark streets.

_Maybe these humans aren’t so bad after all…_

With a warm smile and a renewed sense of determination, he spun around and observed the welcoming fast food establishment only a few meters away. He felt his stomach gurgling at the thought of what lay within.

“I guess I could go for a quick bite.” Tails giggled, his furry muzzle blushing as he clutched his belly. “Let’s see if they’re any good.” Zipping up his rain jacket and securely hiding his namesakes, the orange kitsune followed the welcoming smell of delectable food.

* * *

Slowly returning to consciousness, Sonic opened his eyes, raising his head as he placed a gloved hand against his forehead.

“Ah man, what _happened_?” Peering around the white, sterile laboratory, the blue hedgehog found himself trapped in a transparent, green tubular pod extending to the ceiling of an otherwise empty room. Picking himself up, he watched as a row of humans stared at their computer monitors through a wide window.

“Heh, do they _really_ think this flimsy prison can keep me out?”

Rubbing the base of his nose, he charged a spindash, rolling himself into spherical form and crashing through the holding cell, the glass shattering upon impact. Turning around, he dusted his hands off in accomplishment before heading to the metal door to his left, triggering an alarm. As he stepped into the hallway, he saw a group of heavily armed humans running toward him, machine guns in-hand.

“Time to mosey on out of here!” Entering a moderate jog, he ran the opposite direction from the soldiers, dodging their gunfire with ease as he turned a corner. “That was _too ea_ —” He was cut off by a laser strike he dodged milliseconds before impact. Peering up, he found several security cameras dotting the hallway, their lasers trained on him and ready to strike once more.

“The ol’ ‘camera laser trick’, eh?” Sonic snickered as he stepped forward. “Plllleeeeaze, this is _child’s play_ compared to Eggman’s toys.” The nearest laser fired once more, a blast which was easily dodged by the blue hedgehog. Running up the wall, and grabbing hold of the camera to pull himself up, he spun it around so it faced the second nearest laser. The weapon auto-fired, obliterating the cameras down the path. “Got me some target practice, too! Tails’d be proud.”

With another snicker, the blue hedgehog dropped to the floor, rolling into a spindash before his sneakers could touch the tiles, and launched himself down the hallway, turning at the nearest stairwell and zooming up until he found himself on the roof.

He covered his eyes as the sun above blinded him. After adjusting to the natural light, he stepped to the edge of the roof and looked around, observing the rows of bland, white buildings forming what appeared to be some sort of military base in the middle of the desert. Shifting his focus away from the man-made structures, he noted the impossibly large expanse of sand and gave a long whistle.

“Well, my friends are missing, and I have no idea where to start lookin’...they may even be here, for all I know.” He shrugged his shoulders as he jumped to the edge. “Guess this is a good place to start, but which building do I try first?” Walking to the center, he stood still as he heard heavily armed soldiers running toward him from all directions.

“A party for _me_?” Sonic chuckled as he was encircled by the humans.

“Halt, we have you surrounded!” yelled the frontmost soldier. “Get on the ground with your hands up.”

“And why would I do that?” Sonic asked, folding his arms. “I’d love to stick around n’ chat, but I’ve gotta juice.” He bent his knees, preparing to jump across the wall of soldiers to complete his escape.

“That’s what the last one said,” the commander replied, “but they didn’t make it very far.” Sonic straightened his legs and focused his attention on him.

“What do ya mean?”

“Another one like you tried escaping. She got through our guards but passed out in the desert. Her little pet did its best to protect her, but we brought them both back.”

“Cream…and Cheese?” Sonic balled his fists as he slowly approached the commander. “What did you _do_ to them?” The other soldiers trained their guns on the blue hedgehog.

“They’re unharmed,” he replied. “They’re being watched over as we speak.”

“Thanks for the info,” Sonic said in a stern voice, turning around and giving him a backhanded wave, “now I just gotta rescue ‘em and get outta here.”

“Not so fast, hedgehog.” The commander ordered. “You’d be making a grave mistake if you left so soon.”

“Oh yeah,” Sonic spun around and folded his arms once more, “and why’s that?”

“It’s simple, really.” The commander lowered his gun. “The little bunny is safe _at the moment_ , but one call back to headquarters is all I need.”

“You wouldn’t _dare_.” Sonic snarled as he stepped closer, balling his fists tight, only stopping as a trail of machine gun bullets obstructed his path.

“Oh, but I would, and I will if you take one more step.” Sonic withdrew a few paces, his anger quite palpable as he growled under his breath. “Very good. Now you will come with us. If you comply with our orders, we will ensure your little friend remains safe.”

“Yeah, you better,” Sonic grumbled as a soldier approached him with handcuffs, securely restraining his wrists, “because if you lay a single finger on her, you’re gonna regret i—” A soldier whacked his head with the end of his machine gun, sending him to his knees.

“That’s just about enough of your smartass mouth.” The commander spat to the side. “All right, soldiers, I want you six to escort our guest to his holding cell while the rest of you return to your posts.”

“Sir, yessir!” they exclaimed in unison before following their new orders. Two of the soldiers pulled Sonic from the ground while the remaining four followed closely behind with guns trained on his back. The other soldiers, meanwhile, dispersed back to their original posts. 

Sonic remained silent as he was led to a room like the one he escaped earlier, complete with two tall, cylindrical holding cells, one of which would serve as the blue hedgehog’s prison. Before he could step inside, however, he was stopped by a hand against his shoulder. Turning around, he found a scientist with a lab coat holding a syringe.

“All I need to do is give you this medication, and you will be able to relax while in confinement,” the scientist said as he flicked the needle.

“Hey, this wasn’t part of the deal!” Sonic yelled at the soldiers, who immediately trained their weapons on him. Finding himself staring into multiple muzzles, he realized his unfortunate situation; while he could almost certainly escape unharmed thanks to his supersonic speed, he was not about to risk Cream’s safety for his own. Therefore, with a long sigh, the blue hedgehog extended his right arm out.

“Just make it quick,” Sonic said with a grumble, looking away as the scientist applied some rubbing alcohol to the area of his upper arm before piercing his skin, causing him to wince. Sonic held his eyes closed, his muzzle scrunched with pain as medication was forced into his body. Finally, the scientist removed the needle and applied a bandage.

“What does this even do, anyway?” Sonic asked, groaning as he rotated his sore shoulder. 

“This long-lasting medication will keep you calm and sedated for several hours,” he replied as he placed the syringe into a toxic waste-marked garbage can at the side of the room. “Expect to be receiving many of these in the coming months.”

“The…coming months?” Sonic asked as his legs started to wobble. Before he could weigh any sort of possibility of escaping the base with Cream and Cheese, though, he passed out, falling out of consciousness before hitting the ground.

“All right, soldiers,” the scientist began, “put the hedgehog back in the machine so we can run our preliminary tests.” Doing as they were told, two lifted Sonic into the chamber and locked the glass door before exiting the lab, leaving the sleeping hedgehog alone in his new prison.

* * *

“Welcome to Taco Bell,” said the squeaky-voiced teenaged human male at the front counter, “can I take your ord—” He froze as he registered the sight of the only customer in line.

“Hello, sir!” Tails said in a cheery voice, waving his hand to greet him, “I’d like the, ummm…” He squinted at the menu above. “…I’ll have two Doritos Locos Tacos, a large bean burrito, some Nacho Fries with extra dip, a Crunch Wrap Supreme, two Cinnamon Twists, and…a large soda.”

The teenager peered down at the alien lifeform in amazement, completely speechless. Before he could muster up a response, however, a colleague of his, appearing to be of similar age, tapped him on the shoulder.

“It’s okay, man, he’s probably just here for that anime convention.”

“Ohhh, I gotchu,” the order taker replied before returning his attention to the orange kitsune. “Sorry ‘bout that.” He typed his order into his touchscreen display. “Will that be all, sir?”

“Yep!” Tails fluttered his namesakes from behind.

“All right, that’ll be $25.11.” Tails handed over some cash and the coupon.

“With the discount, that’ll be $18.25.” Handing the fox his change, he grabbed the food items from the warming rack behind him, placing them on a rectangular tray as Tails went to fill up his cup at the nearby self-service station.

“Huh…these sodas are foreign, but they look quite similar to the ones we have at home.” Shrugging his shoulders, he dispensed himself a sizzling blue cup of an appealing beverage labeled “Mountain Dew Baja Blast”, returning to the counter as his order number was called and hauling his food to a table in the corner of the restaurant.

Tails salivated at the sight of the neatly arranged fast food items before him, his stomach gurgling as he reached for the bean burrito. He squealed in delight moments after taking his first bite. “Man, this is _really good_!” He took a sip of his soda and proceeded to finish half of his meal in a matter of minutes before taking another long swig of his beverage and pulling out his Miles Electric.

“According to the map, I’m only a mile away from the Tornado, and it hasn’t moved at all since it first pinged.” He took a thoughtful bite of his taco as he stared out the window, the rain gently pattering on the empty parking lot outside. “Sonic…I sure hope you’re okay out there…” He took another bite. “What am I saying,” he declared with a mouth full of food, “of _course_ he’s okay! He’s _Sonic_! He’s my big brother! We’ve dealt with weirder stuff before.” With a small smile on his face, he took a big bite of his dessert, stopping halfway through the Cinnamon Twist as he felt a pain in his belly.

“Owww, I think I _ate_ too fast….” He analyzed the half-eaten Crunch Wrap Supreme in front of him. “This food seems a bit more artificial than what we have back at home. Maybe that’s why I…” The young fox covered his mouth as his cheeks bulged out. Hopping off the seat, he ran to the nearest restroom, returning several minutes later clutching his belly with one hand and holding himself up against the wall with the other.

“Well…lesson learned, I guess.” Feeling another burst of pain from his stomach, he rapidly spun around and returned to the restroom, coming back to his table several minutes later after yet another unpleasant vomiting spell. Peering down at his plate of half-eaten food, he raised a gloved finger to his chin in thought. “Maybe I’ll keep these and ration them out later. At least they have _some_ nutrients, and if I eat them sparingly enough, I shouldn’t get sick.” With a sigh, Tails stored the food items in his hammerspace before turning to the door.

“We hope you enjoyed your food!” the worker said from the counter. Tails simply waved in response, lacking the will to tell the employee the meal didn’t agree with him.

“Hang in there, Tornado,” Tails declared as he stepped across the parking lot, “I’m almost there. Just another mile until we’re finally reuni—” The orange kitsune stopped as a flashy advertisement caught his eye along the window of the neighboring restaurant. He noted the yellow “M” identical to the one he had found on the bag with the half-eaten burger in the dumpster. The fox couldn’t take his eyes off the green shake on the poster.

“Shamrock Shake, huh?” Tails turned around. “But I shouldn’t. I’m so close…I don’t need any more distractions!” He shook his head as he walked away, only to return to the poster moments later. “But it looks so _good_!” The young kitsune salivated as he studied the poster once more. “I could really use a mint treat right now…” His stomach gurgled at the thought of the delectable ice cream, having recovered from the Taco Bell incident and hungry due to the lack of nourishment.

“Okay, then…it’s settled.” Planting a fist against the open palm of his other hand, he stepped into the restaurant, swearing this would be his final detour before reuniting with his beloved biplane. 

* * *

Opening his eyes after a restless sleep, Sonic found himself slumped against the inside of the cylindrical holding cell. Even as he allowed himself the time to fully awaken, however, he still felt sluggish and fatigued.

“Ah, geez…” The blue hedgehog pulled himself up, but he fell face-first against the floor. “What did…those guys… _do_ to me?” Gritting his teeth, he gathered as much strength as he could muster to roll himself to his side. He stopped his efforts, however, when he noticed a familiar figure in a holding cell meters from his own.

“C-cream?” The blue hedgehog watched as the young bunny slept in her own tubular prison. Her orange dress had already been in tatters while she was imprisoned by Eggman back on Mobius, but the young bunny appeared even worse now, no doubt from trying to escape the Earthling military base. He noted scratches on the outside of her long, flappy ears, and her blue necktie was loosely wrapped around her neck, its knot long undone. Her white gloves were caked with dirt and sand, as were her yellow and orange sneakers.

“…and Cheese?” Turning his head slightly, the blue hedgehog observed the small, blue chao resting against Cream’s side, their soft breathing matching Cheese’s own. Like their owner, Cheese’s red bowtie was loose and grimy, and dirt covered their body, from their dumpling shaped head to their stubby, yellowish green feet.

Sonic’s ears pricked up as he heard the door creak open. Four scientists sporting white lab coats made their way to Cream’s cell, tablets in-hand as they vigorously took notes on the young bunny’s current condition.

“Poor kid,” one of the humans said while pushing up her glasses, “stranded without her parents, a bunch of scary people abducting her…I feel bad for her.”

“Feel _bad_ for it?” replied one of the other scientists with a scoff. “You’re too sentimental. Ya know that, right? In this line of work, we must be prepared for the unexpected, _including_ aliens like these. Besides…” He knelt to get a better look at the sleeping rabbit. “…we all saw the security footage. It escaped a small army of soldiers on its own. It may be cute n’ innocent on the outside, but actions speak louder than words.”

“S-shut up…”

“Huh?” The male scientist turned his attention to the blue hedgehog sprawled on the floor in his tube.

“Ya…heard me…” Finding the strength within, Sonic pushed himself up, leaning against the glass wall with the open palms of his gloved hands. “You…leave Cream…n’ Cheese alone.”

“Or else what, huh?” The human approached Sonic and tapped the glass surface separating them. “You’re far too drugged up to be escaping here anytime soon, and we’ll be keepin’ ya sedated until we learn everything there is to know about you.” He snickered as he peered down, laughing at the sight of Sonic’s angry snarl. “I wonder what we’ll do next…maybe we’ll study your DNA…or drain your blood…or maybe even harvest your organs for… _further analysis_.”

“Quit it, Liam!” The woman shouted, her tablet shaking in her arms. “Can’t you see he’s suffering enough?”

“Or perhaps still,” Liam continued, licking his lips, “we’ll rip this bunny apart first…and _force_ you to watch.”

“That’s enough!” She was beyond angry, a vein appearing on her forehead above her brown, pony-tailed hair. “If you continue, I will be forced to lodge a complaint!”

Liam scoffed. “Whatever, Mandy…” Turning his attention to Sonic for the final time, he tapped on the glass casing of his prison once more. “We’ll be seeing you again _real_ soon… _freak_.” His bellowing laughter filled the room as he stepped out, followed by two of the scientists. Mandy stayed behind, slowly stepping toward Sonic’s cell before tapping a few keys on the lock to open the sliding glass door. Sonic watched in awe as she knelt and gently lifted him so he was leaning against the side of the cell, his back pressed against the wall.

“Sorry about his behavior.” Mandy pulled a small, rectangular object from her pocket. She unwrapped it to reveal a sweet-smelling brown block within. “Chocolate?” She brought the candy bar closer to Sonic’s face, allowing him to sniff at it.

“S-sure…” Having regained some of his strength, he was able to grab hold of the snack and bring it to his mouth, taking a small, thoughtful bite. “Hehe, this is…pretty good…better on our world, though…” He winked at Mandy above with a smile as he took another bite.

“We’re going to be running some tests,” Mandy said as she stepped out of the tubular prison and closed the glass door. “You’ll see some lights, and the cell will vibrate a bit, but you and the bunny won’t be hurt.”

Sonic gave Cream a worried look before returning his attention to the scientist. “P-promise?” Sonic stared up at her intently.

“Promise,” she replied with a nod and a smile. “You have my word.” Sonic returned this reassurance with a thumbs up before she walked away, joining her colleagues on the opposite side of the windowed wall separating them from the Mobians.

As Sonic finished his chocolate bar, the lights in the laboratory grew dark. The cell began to vibrate around him, startled him only slightly before he remembered Mandy’s warning. Finally, he watched as a ring of light made its way around the circumference of the tube, starting from the top and slowly reaching the bottom. He felt nothing, save for the vibrations of the machine, as his biometric data were captured.

As the circle of light made its fifth lap, the blue hedgehog turned his attention back to the young bunny and her blue chao, both of whom remained asleep as they were analyzed.

“Cream…I’ll…get you…out…if it’s the…last thing I…do…”

* * *

Stopping near the street corner of a quiet suburb neighboring Station Square, Tails happily consumed his mint shake with a smile on his face. Peering around as he took another long sip, he found the house he had identified on his map application.

_There it is…the Tornado is right behind that house…_

Taking a final few sips, his ears drooped in disappointment as he reached the bottom of the cup, tossing it into a nearby public garbage can. “Note to self: get another one on the way back. Not as good as Mobian Scout™ mint chocolate chip shakes…but _still_ decent.” Dusting off his hands, the fox stepped across the street as he furrowed his brow in determination.

He observed the small home before him. No lights were visible through the small windows dotting the aging, working class abode, and he detected no security systems as he stepped across the yard, tiptoed below the windows, and climbed up the backyard fence.

“That’s strange…” Tails pulled his Miles Electric from his namesakes and examined the blip he was standing over. “The Tornado _should_ be here…unless it’s wrong?” He glanced at the clock on his tablet. “1:30 AM, huh?” He yawned as he turned around. “I guess I’ll have to start back from square one tomorrow…”

_Creak._

Tails spun around. “I recognize that noise anywhere.” Hearing the metallic sound once more, his ears pricked as he used them to detect the source, leading him to a tall oak tree. Peering up, he gasped at the sight of the Tornado 2 biplane, its majestic blue finish glistening in the moonlight above, its dual wings caught between the tree’s thick branches, and the glass-covered cockpit undisturbed by the interdimensional travel.

“I finally found you!” Activating his rotary namesakes, Tails flew up to his plane and wrapped his arms and legs around its side, giving it a big hug. “Oh, I’ve missed you so much! You’re not too cold, are you?” He glanced around with a concerned look. “Well, we’ll getcha all fired up once we find a way to ground you.” Spinning around, the orange kitsune looked down at the grass from below. “How _exactly_ do we get you down, though?” He raised a hand to his chin in thought. “I suppose I _could_ cut down the oak tree, but that’d be too dangerous to do by myself, and you’d just fall out of the tree and get damaged anyway. Plus that wouldn’t be exactly fair to the tree…”

“In any case,” Tails continued as he reduced the spinning speed of his namesakes, returning to the ground with a gentle _thud_ , “I’ll have to do _something_ with the tree, even if that means cutting a few branches.” He crossed to the house, spinning his tails ones more to get a good look at what he could find through the small gaps between the blinds of the first-floor bedroom. “I think…I see someone sleeping…”

Tails tapped on the glass window.

_Tap. Tap._

_Tippy. Tap. Tap._

The fox waited patiently for several seconds before giving it another try.

_Tippy Tippy Tippy Tap._

“There, I think they’re getting up now.” Tails cleared his throat, hoping to make a decent enough first impression to make the biplane removal project as smooth as possible. Finally, he watched as a young girl opened the blinds, her long, blond hair rustling behind her, reaching back to the edge of her wheelchaired seat.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” the girl said to herself, her voice mostly muffled by the window separating the two. Raising a hand to her chin in thought, she analyzed Tails’ plane intently, its owner below her peripheral vision. “I hope the pilot didn’t get hurt.”

The young fox, in a last attempt to get her attention, tapped on the window a few more times.

_Tippy Tippy Tippy Tap._

“Huh?” The girl peered down to find the orange kitsune below. Tails increased his altitude so they were eye-level.

“Hi!” he greeted with a smile. His smile quickly faded, however, when the girl fainted out of shock, slouching back in her seat.

“…Hello?” Tapping the window a few more times, the young fox tried waking her up, but to no avail.

_Darn it…_

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed the second chapter! Special thanks to fellow members of the** [ **r/MilesPrower Discord server** ](https://discord.gg/SRycb9p) **for helping me answer an important question: what would Tails order if he went to Taco Bell?**


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